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Scarab-shaped seal, Achziv, Iron Age IIC (732/701–586 BCE). Seals were used as stamps to impress images and/or words onto clay objects. They were often perforated so they could be suspended from cords…
Papyrus, rolled, folded, and sealed, Elephantine, Egypt, 5th century BCE. See also Papyrus, Rolled and Sealed. The Elephantine papyri provide historical documentation about the members of a Jewish…
Several stone crenellations, like the one shown in this computer reconstruction, with each of the upper layers shorter and narrower than the one below, were found broken into pieces at the palace at…
Several horse figurines have objects on the forehead, like this one. The object may represent the horse’s forelock or mane, or perhaps a decorative ornament. This terra-cotta figurine from the City of…
Since chairs and beds were valuable items and not found in average homes (people usually sat on the floor and slept on mats), it is possible that terra-cotta models like this one from Lachish…
Amulets often took the form of Bes, a minor Egyptian deity, who was understood to guard mothers in childbirth and their babies. Bes is often shown with a feathered headdress and a grotesque face, a…
From Jerusalem, this seal is made of bone. The fish image, a motif known only from Hebrew seals, suggests plenty and fertility (cf. Genesis 48:16) and may also allude to the life-giving nature of…
This agate seal with an image of a rooster was found in a Roman-period tomb at Tell en-Nasbeh (Mizpah), but its script dates it to the late seventh or early sixth century BCE. The bottom register…
A large lion dominates this seal, appearing between the owner’s name (Shema) and his title (servant of Jeroboam). The lion’s jaws are open and its tail curves upward, making the animal appear larger…
